Ireland vs United States of America: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Ireland
41.7%
in 2022
United States of America
39.1%
in 2024
Ireland rank
6th
United States of America rank
7th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Ireland
- United States of America
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 41.7% against 39.1% in United States of America, a difference of 2.6%.
That makes Ireland's figure about 1.1 times United States of America's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 19 shared years of data; in 2004 it was United States of America ahead.
Ireland ranks 6th and United States of America ranks 7th of 95 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24.9% | 27.3% | 2.5% | United States of America |
| 2010s | 31.3% | 31.7% | 0.4% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 39.0% | 36.4% | 2.7% | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, Ireland or United States of America?
- Ireland, at 41.7% against 39.1% in United States of America as of 2022.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Ireland and United States of America?
- 2.6%, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United States of America?
- 19 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2022.
- How do Ireland and United States of America rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Ireland ranks 6th and United States of America ranks 7th of 95 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release